The organisers of this night hit on a brilliant way to bolster our appetite for the main act, a sell-out Edinburgh and West End sketch show.

They warmed up with 20 minutes of stand-up from a slightly tedious comic pretending to be a university research scientist, only less funny.

Sometimes nearly amusing, the ramble by "Dr Colin Jackson" was based on the fact he shared a name with the Olympic hurdler and that scientists can be socially awkward.

Despite the occasional burst of polite laughter from the most altruistic among us, Jackson left the audience bored and bemused.

By the time Dutch Elm Conservatoire arrived on stage, they sounded like the best comedians in the world. Their first ten minutes was a flash of genius compared to what had gone before.

The premise of Conspiracy is that the five members of Dutch Elm are running a conspiracy investigation agency in Bracknell to find out the truth behind popular suspicions - such as who really killed Diana, Kennedy and Rod Hull.

They began by reading out a letter from a typical customer and conspiracy theorist - a middle-aged man from Rugby whose obsession with authority figures lying to him is ruining his marriage. He explains his monthly payments to the team have put his mind at rest.

We saw the investigators stage Neil Armstrong's (fake) walking on the moon, expose the fraudulence of the Turin Shroud, prove Diana's death was no accident and discover that crop circles were doodles drawn by bored aliens.

An entertaining plot was backed up by great dialogue and timing by comics with a secure on-stage relationship.

This was the last night of the group's UK tour and that gave it an accelerated, nihilistic feel. They had clearly enjoyed working together and were still having fun, breaking into laughter at their own jokes, forgetting the script but carrying on regardless, determined to see the performance flourish to the end.

Dutch Elm, who modestly bill themselves as "Perrier losers", are working with radio/film/TV company Celador on a new format for Conspiracy. Definitely one to look out for.